1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to overload circuit indicators for circuit breakers, and more particularly, to such indicators that are magnetically activated and battery powered.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The need for an illuminated indicator for circuit breakers is quite obvious and it has been documented in several U.S. and foreign patents. In particular, one of the present inventors attempted to solve the problem in U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,816 and the above referenced parent application followed after numerous problems with safety testing agencies (UL, CSA, etc.) because the patented device borrows electricity from the very same source that is being regulated. The device disclosed in the parent application does not take any electricity from the source being regulated but rather it is battery powered and designed to be easily adapted to conventional circuit breakers. The invention in the parent application, however, is susceptible to wear and tear and, more important, it can not be used in flammable atmospheres because the electric contacts activated by the switch lever are exposed. The present invention provides for a device that solves the problem outlined, is more reliable and can be safely operated inside spaces with flammable atmospheres.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.